Left-hander Jon Niese gets the start for the Mets on Tuesday afternoon as they take on the Nationals. Niese has allowed just three earned runs in 10 1/3 innings during Grapefruit League action this spring. New lefty reliever Jerry Blevins is expected to pitch for the Mets as well. More »

The Rangers lead the Metropolitan Division in points, and Rick Nash has reached the 40-goal plateau for the third time in his career this season. Still, despite an impressive campaign, Nash and the Blueshirts will be judged by how they perform in the playoffs this spring. More »

Currently tied for the East's final playoff spot with the Celtics, the Nets will get a boost Tuesday with the return of Thaddeus Young. The forward has been sidelined for two games with a left knee strain. Since landing with the Nets at the trade deadline, Young has averaged 13.6 points per game. More »

NY Sports Headlines

The Mets and first baseman Lucas Duda will reportedly table contract negotiations until after the season. On Saturday, Duda said the two sides had begun talks for a potential extension, but the discussions remained preliminary. The 29-year-old hit .253/.349/.481 with 30 home runs in 2014. More »

UConn endured a scare for 20 minutes of its Elite Eight game vs. Dayton. But in the second, Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis and the Huskies showed hearts of champions. Mosqueda-Lewis scored a game-high 27 points, guiding UConn to its eighth straight Final Four with a 91-70 win. More »

Rafael Montero continues to make a strong case for a spot in the Mets' rotation. The young right-hander dominated the Marlins on Monday, allowing two hits, no runs and striking out six batters over six innings. Home runs from Lucas Duda and Michael Cuddyer sent the Mets to a 7-1 win. More »

Lucas Duda and the Mets' offense enjoyed another big day at the plate, as the burly first baseman drove in five runs and homered in the Mets' 7-1 win over the Marlins on Monday. Rafael Montero was sharp yet again, striking out six over six innings. Gary, Ron and Keith have the details. More »

Chris Mullin is coming home. The former NBAer, and St. John's alum, will be introduced as the new head coach of the Red Storm during a press conference Wednesday. The 51-year-old Brooklyn native, who played four years during 1980s, has no head-coaching experience. More »

After acquiring lefty Alex Torres earlier Monday, the Mets struck another deal, trading for reliever Jerry Blevins. Blevins posted a 4.87 ERA in 57 1/3 innings for the Nats last season, but the southpaw held lefties to a .160 average. Matt den Dekker heads to Washington in exchange for Blevins. More »

Brook Lopez's play in the month of March has the Nets on the verge of a playoff berth, and his strong performances of late earned him the Eastern Conference's Player of the Week award Monday. In four games last week for Brooklyn, Lopez averaged 28.8 points and 8.5 rebounds. More »